What are the best guides for e-commerce email deliverability?

Summary

Improving e-commerce email deliverability requires a comprehensive strategy incorporating technical configurations, list management practices, and engagement optimization. Resources like SparkPost's hub, Spamhaus's guide, and dedicated blogs offer insights. Key elements include understanding and managing sender reputation, implementing SPF and DKIM for authentication, and using tools like Google Postmaster Tools for monitoring. Segmentation, suppression lists, list cleaning, and easy unsubscribe options enhance list hygiene and engagement. Warming up IPs, avoiding spam trigger words, double opt-in, validating emails, and using preview tools further optimize deliverability. Monitoring blocklists and staying within sending limits are also crucial.

Key findings

  • Sender Reputation: Understanding and actively managing sender reputation is fundamental to email deliverability.
  • Email Authentication: Implementing SPF and DKIM helps authenticate emails and prevent spoofing, improving deliverability.
  • List Management: Effective list management, including segmentation, suppression lists, and regular cleaning, improves engagement and reduces complaints.
  • Engagement Optimization: Strategies like warming up IPs, avoiding spam trigger words, double opt-in, and easy unsubscribe options enhance user engagement and protect sender reputation.
  • Monitoring & Compliance: Monitoring blocklists, adhering to sending limits, and complying with email regulations help maintain deliverability.

Key considerations

  • Holistic Approach: Adopt a holistic approach to email deliverability, addressing technical, list management, and engagement aspects.
  • Continuous Monitoring: Continuously monitor key metrics and adapt strategies based on performance and feedback.
  • User-Centric Design: Design email programs with the user in mind, making it easy for them to manage their subscriptions and preferences.
  • Technical Expertise: Ensure access to technical expertise for implementing and maintaining authentication protocols and deliverability monitoring tools.
  • Stay Updated: Stay informed about the latest best practices and algorithm changes in email deliverability to adapt your strategies effectively.

What email marketers say
12Marketer opinions

Improving e-commerce email deliverability involves a multi-faceted approach. Several resources, including SparkPost's deliverability hub, Spamhaus's guide, and Postbox Services' blogs, offer comprehensive information. Key strategies include understanding and maintaining a good sender reputation by managing email volume, complaint rates, and list hygiene. Segmenting email lists to increase engagement, setting up a dedicated sending domain, regularly cleaning email lists, and warming up IP addresses are also crucial. Furthermore, using preview tools to ensure proper email rendering, avoiding spam trigger words, implementing double opt-in, and validating email addresses contribute to better deliverability.

Key opinions

  • Sender Reputation: Maintaining a good sender reputation by managing email volume, complaint rates, and list hygiene is critical for deliverability.
  • List Segmentation: Segmenting email lists increases engagement, signaling positive metrics to ISPs and improving deliverability.
  • Dedicated Domain: Setting up a dedicated sending domain protects the reputation of your primary domain.
  • List Cleaning: Regularly cleaning email lists by removing inactive subscribers is essential to reduce bounce rates and protect sender reputation.
  • IP Warm-up: Warming up IP addresses gradually when starting a new email program helps establish a positive sending reputation.
  • Preview Tools: Using preview tools ensures proper email rendering across different clients, improving user experience and reducing spam complaints.
  • Spam Trigger Words: Avoiding spam trigger words in subject lines and body content prevents emails from being filtered.
  • Double Opt-In: Implementing double opt-in builds a more engaged list and confirms subscribers' genuine interest.
  • Email Validation: Validating email addresses before sending reduces bounce rates and improves deliverability.

Key considerations

  • Sender Reputation Management: Continuously monitor and manage your sender reputation metrics to identify and address potential deliverability issues.
  • Targeted Content: Tailor email content to specific audience segments to increase engagement and reduce the likelihood of spam complaints.
  • Consistent List Maintenance: Establish a routine for cleaning and validating email lists to remove inactive or invalid addresses.
  • Email Testing: Thoroughly test email rendering across different clients and devices to ensure a consistent and positive user experience.
  • Compliance with Regulations: Ensure compliance with email marketing regulations, such as GDPR and CAN-SPAM, to maintain trust and avoid penalties.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Shopify shares that segmenting email lists to target specific customers increases engagement. Higher engagement rates signals positive metrics to ISPs and enhances deliverability. Send relevant offers and content to different customer groups.

September 2024 - Shopify
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks shares a link to the Spamhaus deliverability guide, highlighting its value.

January 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from GMass recommends avoiding spam trigger words in your email subject lines and body. Certain words and phrases can trigger spam filters and prevent your emails from reaching the inbox.

September 2022 - GMass
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit suggests warming up your IP address. When starting a new email program, gradually increase the volume of emails you send over time. This helps establish a positive sending reputation with ISPs.

January 2025 - Reddit
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks shares a link to the SparkPost deliverability hub, suggesting it as a helpful resource.

June 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet explains that understanding sender reputation is crucial. Sender reputation is built over time based on factors like email volume, complaint rates, and list hygiene. A good reputation helps ensure emails reach the inbox.

December 2024 - Mailjet
Marketer view

Email marketer from Klaviyo shares that setting up a dedicated sending domain is important. Using a dedicated domain separates your marketing emails from your transactional emails, protecting the reputation of your primary domain.

December 2022 - Klaviyo
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email on Acid shares that using double opt-in helps build a more engaged email list. Requiring subscribers to confirm their email address ensures they are genuinely interested in receiving your emails.

June 2021 - Email on Acid
Marketer view

Email marketer from Sendinblue explains that regularly cleaning your email lists by removing inactive or unengaged subscribers is essential. Sending emails to inactive addresses increases bounce rates and can damage your sender reputation.

January 2024 - Sendinblue
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus suggests using preview tools to test email rendering across different email clients and devices. Ensuring your emails display correctly improves the user experience and reduces the likelihood of recipients marking them as spam.

July 2021 - Litmus
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks shares a link to the Postbox Services blogs, suggesting it as a helpful resource.

March 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Stackoverflow advises using a tool to validate email addresses before sending. Removing invalid or non-existent email addresses reduces bounce rates, improving deliverability.

February 2024 - Stackoverflow

What the experts say
5Expert opinions

Improving e-commerce email deliverability involves several expert recommendations. It's crucial to use resources like blogs dedicated to email deliverability. Key strategies include offering clear unsubscribe options to avoid frustration and spam complaints, implementing proper list segmentation to tailor content and optimize sending frequency, utilizing suppression lists to remove unengaged users and lower complaint rates, and actively monitoring blocklists to address any listings that could harm deliverability.

Key opinions

  • Expert Resources: Leveraging blogs and resources dedicated to email deliverability provides valuable insights and guidance.
  • Easy Unsubscribe: Providing clear and easy unsubscribe options reduces spam complaints and protects sender reputation.
  • List Segmentation: Implementing proper list segmentation enhances engagement and minimizes spam complaints.
  • Suppression Lists: Using suppression lists to remove unengaged users lowers complaint rates and improves deliverability.
  • Blocklist Monitoring: Regularly monitoring blocklists helps identify and resolve any listings that could negatively impact deliverability.

Key considerations

  • Regular Audits: Conduct regular audits of your email deliverability practices to identify areas for improvement.
  • User Experience: Prioritize user experience by making it easy for subscribers to manage their email preferences.
  • Data Hygiene: Maintain clean and up-to-date email lists to improve engagement and reduce deliverability issues.
  • Proactive Monitoring: Implement proactive monitoring of key deliverability metrics to quickly address any emerging problems.
  • Continuous Learning: Stay informed about the latest email deliverability best practices and adapt your strategies accordingly.
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise shares that marketers must implement proper list segmentation, tailor content to specific audience segments, and optimize sending frequency to improve engagement and minimize spam complaints, which is crucial for maintaining good deliverability.

May 2022 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains using a suppression list containing unengaged users is essential. Regularly removing these recipients prevents sending to addresses that haven't interacted with your emails, thus lowering complaint rates and improving deliverability.

February 2022 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares a link to their blog, which focuses on email deliverability.

February 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource states the importance of monitoring blocklists. Being listed on a blocklist can significantly hurt deliverability. Regularly check your sending IP and domain against common blocklists and take steps to resolve any listings.

July 2022 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that having clear and easy unsubscribe options is vital. Making it difficult for subscribers to unsubscribe leads to frustration and spam complaints, negatively impacting your sender reputation.

February 2024 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

Improving e-commerce email deliverability involves leveraging various technical and monitoring tools. Google Postmaster Tools helps analyze sending reputation and spam rates for Gmail addresses. The Sender Policy Framework (SPF) prevents email spoofing by authorizing specific mail servers. DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) uses digital signatures to verify sender identity. Feedback loops allow senders to receive and act on complaint data from ISPs. Finally, monitoring sending limits and quotas prevents throttling or blocking by email sending services.

Key findings

  • Google Postmaster Tools: Google Postmaster Tools provides data on sending reputation and spam rates to identify deliverability problems.
  • Sender Policy Framework (SPF): SPF prevents email spoofing by authorizing specific mail servers to send emails on behalf of your domain.
  • DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM): DKIM uses digital signatures to verify sender identity and ensures emails haven't been tampered with.
  • Feedback Loops: Feedback loops forward complaint data from ISPs to senders, helping address reasons for spam marking.
  • Sending Limits and Quotas: Monitoring sending limits and quotas prevents throttling or blocking by email sending services.

Key considerations

  • Regular Monitoring: Continuously monitor Google Postmaster Tools and other relevant metrics for any signs of deliverability issues.
  • Proper Authentication: Ensure SPF and DKIM are correctly implemented to authenticate your emails and improve deliverability.
  • Complaint Management: Actively manage feedback loops by addressing and resolving the reasons why recipients mark emails as spam.
  • Volume Control: Stay within sending limits and quotas set by your email sending service to avoid throttling or blocking.
  • Technical Expertise: Seek technical expertise to properly implement and maintain SPF, DKIM, and other technical aspects of email deliverability.
Technical article

Documentation from Google explains Google Postmaster Tools provides data on your sending reputation, spam rates, and other metrics to help identify and fix deliverability problems when sending to Gmail addresses.

October 2022 - Google
Technical article

Documentation from AWS states to monitor your sending limits and quotas to prevent deliverability issues. Staying within the limits set by your email sending service helps avoid throttling or blocking of your emails.

June 2022 - Amazon Web Services
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft explains that DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) is an email authentication method that uses digital signatures to verify the sender's identity and ensure the email hasn't been tampered with. Implementing DKIM helps improve deliverability by confirming the authenticity of your emails to receiving mail servers.

October 2023 - Microsoft
Technical article

Documentation from SparkPost shares feedback loops are a mechanism where ISPs forward complaint data to senders. Monitoring and acting on feedback loops helps identify and address the reasons why recipients are marking emails as spam, ultimately improving deliverability.

March 2022 - SparkPost
Technical article

Documentation from RFC explains the Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is an email authentication method designed to prevent spammers from forging the 'From' address in emails. By creating an SPF record in your DNS settings, you authorize specific mail servers to send emails on behalf of your domain.

January 2022 - RFC-Editor